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Rebooting after crucial losses: Where do the Red Stars stand after the draft?

By Caden Charpentier

ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 29: Mallory Pugh #9 of the Chicago Red Stars kicks the ball during a game between Chicago Red Stars and Orlando Pride at Exploria Stadium on October 29, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Jeremy Reper/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 29: Mallory Pugh #9 of the Chicago Red Stars kicks the ball during a game between Chicago Red Stars and Orlando Pride at Exploria Stadium on October 29, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Jeremy Reper/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
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Sep 14, 2022; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Kansas City Current midfielder Addie McCain (28) during warmups before the game against the Chicago Red Stars at SeatGeek Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2022; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Kansas City Current midfielder Addie McCain (28) during warmups before the game against the Chicago Red Stars at SeatGeek Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports /

What have the Chicago Red Stars done so far this offseason?

Lomnicki got right to work, signing former Current midfielder Addie McCain and Boston College alumnus Jenna Bike to a two-year contract. Replacing a midfield duo that has been together since the 2015 campaign is going to take some time, but Lomnicki has taken her first steps to patch up the Red Stars after the first free agency period in NWSL history, which the club more damaged than anyone else.

Despite not having won the NWSL Championship in its history, Chicago has finished runner-up in two out of the last three seasons. In a city with a growing soccer fanbase, it would be uncharacteristic for a club as consistent as the Red Stars to miss out on the postseason in 2023.

To fill the gap in the coaching staff just before the draft, Chicago hired former Kansas City Current assistant coach Ella Maser to provide more stability to a staff that was not fully put together last season until training camp already began. When it came to the draft this past week, the Red Stars did not make any eyes raise like Gotham or Houston, they simply filled the holes on their roster, adding more quality to a midfield and attack that desperately needed a boost before March came around.

The league is only getting better each season as more and more young talent enter the league and make their names known. For Chicago, given the situation it is currently in, those players are potentially going to play a key role in the success of the team in just their rookie season. Even though the Red Stars added just four players to their roster via the draft, each one of them is going to add something this club is in need of.

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